Clip for attaching sign to a staff

ABSTRACT

A spring clip for use on an automobile radio antenna, or any like staff, to hold a card, tag or sign for identification of the vehicle or for various types of price tagging or small displays. The clip has two generally rectilinear legs joined by a loop which can accommodate the ball tip of an aerial, or the like, and the legs are slotted for lateral gripping of the staff. A prong on one leg is provided to engage the card or sign and prevent downward slippage while the unrelieved edges of this slot in this leg provide an effective gripping action when pressing the card against the staff, even tending to effect slight local deformation, and thus assuring against tilting of the card.

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Swallm Mali, 1, 11972 [54] CLIPF'OR ATTACHING SIGN TU A 1,213,644 1/1917Holcomb ..24/81 PH UX STAFF 2,636,240 4/1953 Pokomy ..24/259 RC3,427,695 2 1969 Cowan ..24 259 PC [72] Inventor: Calvin D. Swalm, 4138Cass Street, San I 92109 Primary Examiner-Donald A. Grifi'in [22] Filed:July 2, 1970 Attorney-Knox & Knox [21] Appl. No.: 51,782 [57] ABSTRACT Aspring clip for use on an automobile radio antenna, or any ((511. likestaff, to hold a card, tag or sign for identification of the vehicle orfor various yp of price gg g or small [58] held 2:7 m; gg g The clip hastwo generally rectilinear legs joined by a loop BB 255 259 k 259 ZSSP 5R PH which can accommodate the ball tip of an aerial, or the like, 259RC and the legs are slotted for lateral gripping of the staff. A prongon one leg is provided to engage the card or sign and 56] ReierencesCited prevent downward slippage while the unrelieved edges of this slotin this leg provide an effective gripping action when UNITED STATESPATENTS pressing the card against the staff, even tending to effectslight local deformation, and thus assuring against tilting of the card.1,744,196 1/1930 Ames 3,021,581 2/1962 Cook et al ..24/73 B 4 Claims, 6Drawing Figures PATENTEMAR 1 a ma IN VENTOR.

CALVIN D. SWALM CLIP FOR ATTACHING SIGN TO A STAFF BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION With the advent of huge parking areas, especially thoseassociated with multi-entrance buildings, many people experience atleast occasional difficulty in locating their automobiles. Flowers andother items have been attached to aerials for identification purposesbut the means for physical attachment has ordinarily been rudimentary,improvised and sometimes inadequate. In a broader field of use, certainpennants and the like are pinned or similarly attached or formed with asleeve portion to accept a shaft, but virtually nothing is generallyavailable for mounting signs and cards on small diameter staffs as, forexample, price tags and, the like in stores. In this latter connectionthe card, sign or tag, is sometimes merely impaled on the support andtherefore not firmly held in place. In other prior art examples certainalligator and like clamps have been used but these are unhandy andunsightly when not in use. There is, therefore, a need for an economicaland effective device to attach cards, signs and tags to aerials andother staff or staff-like members, a device which is simple to use andwhich is not obtrusive when not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention has been developed inanswer to this need and, as claimed, comprises a spring clip withparallel legs jointed by an integral loop at the top. Each leg isslotted, and one to grip the aerial or other staff directly and theother to grip and press a card-like element against the staff. A prongon the last mentioned leg is adapted to engage the card-like element tohold the same more firmly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a perspective view of theclip;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the clip mounted on a vehicleantenna;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view, on a reduced scale, showing anemergency sign held by the clip; and

FIG. 6 is a similar view of an alternative use of the clip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The clip is constructedfrom an elongated strap of resilient sheet material folded and returnedon itself to define two legs 10 and 12 joined by an integral spring loop14. The legs are transversely flat and straight throughout the majorlength thereof and the loop 14 is dimensioned to accept the ball tip 16of the aerial 18 which is illustrated in the drawing to exemplify astaff upon which the clip will be placed when in use. The loop has anopening 20 to accept a part of the ball tip T6 for auxiliarystabilization of the clip.

The principal stabilizing means is achieved by the slot 22 in the leg 10which receives a lateral portion of the staff or aerial 118. Wheninstalled on such staff or aerial without any card or the like beinginserted therein, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the leg 12, with its slot 24also directly engages the aerial or staff.

When a card-like element 26, illustrated as a distress sign in FIG. 5,is inserted between the leg 12 and the aerial or staff the edges of theslot 24, being unrelieved, grip the card element 26 and the springaction of the clip results in a positive localized pressure on the cardelement 26 against the aerial 18,

even tending to effect a minor bending of the card element for furtherassurance of secure holding action. To prevent the card element fromcreeping downward under the force of gravity an inturned prong is struckfrom the leg 12 at the lower end of the slot 24. This prong may engageunder the lower edge of the card element or may bite into the same whenlocated intermediate the height of the card element.

For ease in attachment of the clip and in insertion of a card elementboth legs 10 and 112 are terminally outwardly turned as at 30 and 32.

The modes of use of this invention will be obvious from the foregoing itbeing only necessary to point out that the term card element as usedherein should be considered as generic to various cards, signs such asthe emergency sign in FIG. 5 or the price tag form indicated in FIG. 6,depending on the environment wherein the invention is used. Obviouslythe staff upon which the clip is placed need not have a ball tip 16 asin the use of the item in stores to hold price tags.

The card 26 is preferably notched at the top as shown at 34 to acceptthe loop 14 and this structure further insures against tipping of thecard from the proper position.

I claim:

I. A clip for attaching a card to a supporting staff, comprismg:

an elongated strap of resilient material having only one return benddefining a single pair only of generally flat parallel depending legsjoined at the top by an integral spring loop;

as least one of said legs having a longitudinal slot to accept a lateralportion of a supporting staff and thereby align the clip with saidstaff;

whereby a card may be inserted and held between the other of said legsand the staff.

2. A clip according to claim I wherein said other one of said legs has asupported card-engaging inturned prong to contact and hold a lower edgeportion of a card firmly, particularly against slipping downward.

3. A clip according to claim 1 wherein said other one of said legs has aslot similar to said slot with unrelieved edges to grip the card againstthe staff.

4. A clip according to claim ll wherein said loop has an openingtherein, at the extremity thereof remote from said legs, to receive aportion of a ball tip on said staff, whereby the clip is adapted for useon a ball-tipped radio aerial.

1. A clip for attaching a card to a supporting staff, comprising: anelongated strap of resilient material having only one return benddefining a single pair only of generally flat parallel depending legsjoined at the top by an integral spring loop; as least one of said legshaving a longitudinal slot to accept a lateral portion of a supportingstaff and thereby align the clip with said staff; whereby a card may beinserted and held between the other of said legs and the staff.
 2. Aclip according to claim 1 wherein said other one of said legs has asupported card-engaging inturned prong to contact and hold a lower edgeportion of a card firmly, particularly against slipping downward.
 3. Aclip according to claim 1 wherein said other one of said legs has a slotsimilar to said slot with unrelieved edges to grip the card against thestaff.
 4. A clip according to claim 1 wherein said loop has an openingtherein, at the extremity thereof remote from said legs, to receive aportion of a ball tip on said staff, whereby the clip is adapted for useon a ball-tipped radio aerial.